


keep on fightin'

by Sumi



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, Fix-It, Gen, Yuletide Treat, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 17:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8810161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/pseuds/Sumi
Summary: After Joel is bitten, it's up to Tess to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [100indecisions](https://archiveofourown.org/users/100indecisions/gifts).



_Summer_

The smugglers Marlene hired were only supposed to deliver Ellie to City Hall. She wasn’t   
supposed to go and get one of them fucking killed.

“Fuck, Tess. I’m sorry about Joel--” Ellie said.

“Ellie, just don’t, okay? We have to keep moving.”

Ellie gave Tess a curt nod, gripping the straps of her bag tight enough to turn her knuckles white. If not for her, Joel and Tess never would’ve been out here. Joel wouldn’t have gotten bitten and they’d be living whatever fucking life you could live in a world of infected.

They didn’t speak for a while after that. Instead, they focused on the soldiers still on their ass. The fuckers didn't want to give up. As distracting as those soldiers were, they couldn't erase Joel from Ellie’s mind.

“This was your idea so don't let me die for nothin’ Tess.” Those were the last words Joel had spoken to them before Tess and Ellie ran off. 

They wouldn’t leave Ellie’s head. She wanted to say something, anything, to Tess, but the words wouldn't come. By the time Ellie did speak, she brought up the subject of Joel’s brother. Supposedly he could help them.

“Do you know where Tommy is?”

“Last Joel heard, he was somewhere out west. We'll head there. He has to know where the Fireflies will be.”

“Have you ever met him?”

“Once or twice, but by the time I partnered with Joel, he and Joel were on the outs. We need supplies and a damn car. I have a friend who owes us-- me a favor. He might have a car on his hands.”

Ellie nodded and unconsciously rubbed at the bite scar on her left forearm. It didn't hurt, not really. Marlene had called it “ghost pain,” or as Ellie liked to call it, “just another way for her mind to fuck with her.”

“Ellie, come on! We have to get going.”

In her distraction over the bite, Ellie had stopped dead in her tracks. She cleared her mind and followed after Tess so they could go meet this friend of hers. Ellie had thoughts about this friend except that she hoped he could get them a fucking car and supplies. Of course, even if Ellie gave no thoughts to him, she had never imagined it would be someone like Bill.

The first thing the bastard did once they found him was handcuff Ellie to a pipe. Ellie didn’t take to kindly to that, pulling at the pipe and trying to wrench it from the wall.

“Turn around and get on your knees,” Bill said.

“Bill for god's sake--” Tess said.

“Turn around and get on your knees!”

“I’m clean, damn it. No bites, spores or anything.” Tess complied anyway, grunting as Bill inspected her. 

“If I see so much as a twitch…”

Bill had backed off, but Ellie finally pulled the pipe free. She swung blindly, managing to get his arm before Tess wrenched her backwards.

“Ellie stop.” Tess had a firm grip on the pipe. Reluctantly, Ellie let go, allowing Tess to pull it away. 

With a sigh, Tess turned towards Bill and put a hand on her hip. “You done?”

He laughed in what sounded like disbelief. “Am I done? You come into my house, set off all my traps, and nearly break my goddamn shooting arm! Who the fuck is this punk and what is she doing here?”

“I am none of your goddamn business. We’re here because you owe Tess some favors.”

“I owe Tess some favors? Is this a fucking joke?”

Tess followed Bill over to his table, arms now folded over her chest. “Listen, Bill, I’ll just cut to the fucking chase. I need a car.”

“A car? You want a fucking car? If I had one, why would I even give it to you, Tess?” Bill said. “You want a car? Sure! Why don’t you go ahead and take all my food while you’re at it?”

Ellie snorted. “By the looks of it, you could stand to lose some of that food.”

“You little shit--”

“Ellie,” Tess hissed, approaching Ellie in just a few steps. “I need you to be quiet and let me handle this.”

“The favors I owe you aren’t worth this much.”

“Yes they are, Bill. You know they are.”

Bill became more passive after that. Something about the way Tess spoke made him change his attitude. Ellie didn’t care why because it got the guy to shut up and quit ragging on her. He even stopped complaining about their terrible plan to put together a working car.

She had to give Bill some credit then because they did end up with a car that actually worked. After Bill said goodbye by telling them to get the fuck out of his town, Ellie sat comfortably in the back seat, looking through a magazine she’d swiped from Bill.

“Ellie, where did you get that?”

She lowered the magazine, but not enough so Tess couldn’t see the grin creeping across her face. “It’s not like he’s gonna miss it. He had a ton of shit in there!”

“So tell me, did you take anything else useful or distracting?” Tess inquired. She sounded more amused at the idea of her impromptu thievery.

Ellie riffled through her backpack, eventually pulling out a cassette tape. “This make you all nostalgic, Tess?”

“Hey that is way before my time. Try CDs. Then we can talk nostalgia.” Tess grabbed the tape, inspecting it closely. “This is a pretty good song though.”

Snorting, Ellie climbed into the front seat. The music flowing through the car almost made up for the shitty scenery flying by them as they drove further and further away from Bill’s town.

Tess nudged her gently. “You should try to get some sleep while you can.”  
While Ellie protested she wasn't tired, sleep became pretty difficult to fend off. She remained so until they got themselves shot at again.

Seems there was never a shortage of people wanting to kill them.

_Fall_

It seemed like they would never find Tommy but after weeks of traveling, they did. Tommy wasn't the spitting image of Joel but Ellie could see the resemblance.

Meeting Tommy pushed Ellie to bring up the subject of Joel when she hadn't done since hadn't since Tess shut her down months ago. She didn't intend to but Tommy had a photograph of Sarah and Joel from happier times. Tess took it, running her hand over Joel’s face not once but twice.

“Maria told me about what happened to Sarah.”

Tess ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “Joel never got over her death. He only talked about her twice in the entire time we’ve known each other.”

“Tess… I'm sorry about Joel.”  
The last time Ellie brought this up, Tess had shut her down. This time Tess just reached over and gently squeezed Ellie’s shoulder.

“It isn't your fault, Ellie. I pushed us forward. Not you, me,” Tess said. “You know, we can throw the plan out the fucking window. Stay here with Tommy’s people.”

“Tess you can't be fucking serious. We didn't fight all the way here just to turn around.”

A small smirk made it's way onto Tess’s tired face. “Just making sure Ellie.”  
Ellie huffed and held up the covered infected bite. “I mean this shit could save the world, right?”

“A world without infected. It's almost hard to remember what the world was like without Cordyceps.”

“So where we headed?” Ellie inquired.

“A university in eastern Colorado. Tommy said building looked like a big mirror.”

Ellie had questions but didn't voice any of them, not until they were nearly at the university. She didn't want to pry. There was shit Ellie probably would never be ready to talk about; Riley being the big one.

“Did you ever go to one of these?”

“I was a couple days from starting when the infection hit. Ironic, isn’t it?”

“But you remember real schools and not that military shit.”

“Not all it’s cracked up to be, Ellie but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to go back. There were no bloaters to deal with.”

Ellie snorted. “Ugly fuckers.”

Everything seemed to go to hell after that. The lighthearted conversation was soon forgotten in favor of trying to save their asses from the hunters shooting at them from every possible direction. 

The Fireflies were nowhere to be found. They were possibly in Salt Lake City at a hospital called St. Mary’s Hospital but the missing fireflies were the least of their problems now.

They almost got away until Tess fell. Ellie watched in horror as she was impaled.

“Fuck, Tess!”

She couldn't lose Tess. First Riley, then Joel, and Sam. The last was still fresh. Ellie could see Henry shooting Sam clearly in her mind before turning the gun on himself. There was no fucking way Ellie would let Tess leave her-- not without a fight.

Just had to ditch these fuckers first.

_Winter_

The deer was close enough for Ellie to get a clean shot. She pulled back the string, held the arrow steady, and then on the count of three let it go. It missed the deer by an inch before lodging itself in a nearby log.

“Fuck!” Ellie hissed. “I almost had it.”

She took shelter in the basement of an abandoned house. Tess remained unconscious but Ellie had stopped the bleeding and sewed the wound shut. All Ellie could do was wait… but sitting around, yelling at Tess was not helping. Going out hunting, trying to get some food for the two of them which would be a much needed distraction.

A second arrow hit the deer but it didn’t go down. The deer disappeared further into the forest, leaving a blood trail in its wake. Ellie followed the blood trail, intending to strike at it again when in came into sight.

The farther she walked, the fresher the blood got. There was so much of it that Ellie couldn’t help but mutter: “How the fuck is this thing still alive?”

The now lifeless deer came into sight further into the forest. Satisfied with the outcome, Ellie approached but stiffed at the sound of footsteps. She whirled around, getting ready to strike with an arrow need be.

“One more fucking move and I put an arrow right between his eyes.”

“Now, now we don’t mean any harm,” the bearded man said. “I’m David.”

“And I’m none of your fucking business.”

“Well I understand. It’s not easy to trust someone in this world of ours.”

Ellie didn’t trust this guy from the second she laid eyes on him and his words only made her more paranoid. Of course, her gut instinct never imagined David being some perverted cannibal. Oh but did Ellie fight. She fought to get back with the medicine David had so ‘graciously’ given her and to lead those creepy fuckers far away from Tess.

The intention David had became clear when Ellie woke up in the jail cell. Fucker deserved the broken finger and more. She kept fighting and fighting, refusing to let David win. Ellie was determined to find her way out of here and get back to Tess. At the very least, she led David and his guys away from her if something were to happen.

They ended up in some cabin. Ellie struggled to fend off David who continued to pursue her, taunting her as they played a fucked up game of cat and mouse. It culminated in Ellie stabbing David, the two hitting the ground. Her knife lay just a few inches away. If she could just grab it…

David’s foot connected with Ellie’s side. It abruptly stopped her attempt.

“I knew you had heart,” David mused. “You know, it’s okay to give up. There ain't no shame in it.”

Ellie ignored him, continuing to crawl on her stomach and get to her knife.

“Guess not. Just not your style is it?” He kicked her again, the blow causing Ellie to roll over onto her back. “I won’t mind if you beg.”

“Fuck you,” Ellie rasped. She kept trying to grab the knife even when David’s hands wrapped around her neck, squeezing tightly.

This didn’t deter Ellie and eventually she was able to get her grip on the handle of the knife and drive it straight into David’s side. He doubled over with a groan. Ellie didn’t dawdle. She jumped up, stabbing David over and over again until her vision was blurred by her tears and blood.

“Ellie!”

“Get the fuck off me!”

“Ellie, it’s Tess!”

It was only then did Ellie allow herself to succumb to all the feelings that had been building up. She sunk into Tess’s embrace and just cried.

_Spring_

“Ellie!”

She blinked, looking over in Tess’s direction. “Yeah?”

“I called your name three times. It’s this way. You coming?”

“Mm.”

The events of last Winter seemed to be constantly on Ellie’s mind. David’s taunting words, hands around her throat squeezing hard enough to not cut off all oxygen but make it harder for Ellie to breathe. He had been biding his time, wanting Ellie to suffer. Of course, he wouldn’t end her life until he--

“Ellie, you with me?”

Ellie never felt more grateful for her thoughts to be interrupted.

“Yeah, I'm with you.”

“Ellie you know we don't have to do this, right? We can just turn back and go back to Tommy’s.”  
The offer was tempting. A part of Ellie wanted to turn back and go back to a place where safety wasn't a guarantee but at least a possibility. In the end, Ellie had to say know.

“Then all of this would be for nothing, Tess.”

Tess stood beside Ellie, seeming to consider her next words carefully. “We'll keep going then.”  
She quietly followed Tess, knowing it had to be this way. All those people hadn't died just for the two of them to turn right back around.

“Ellie, if you ever need to talk…”

“Not now but later, Tess.”

“Well you know where to find me.”

Ellie snorted, rolling her eyes in mock annoyance. “You can be such a fucking loser sometimes.”

Oh, she did want to talk about it but every time Ellie tried the words got caught in her throat. The memories were still too fresh.

Ellie found herself drawn into her thoughts again until she caught sight of a large shadow on the wall. Curious, Ellie climbed through the window and found what made the shadow.

“Tess get out here! You have to see this.”

A bunch of giraffes were roaming the area. Ellie had never seen one save for in pictures.

Tess appeared behind her, a nostalgic smile on her face. “The last time I saw one of these it was at a zoo. I couldn't have been more than ten.”

“A zoo?”

“For lack of a better term, it's where they housed animals for public viewing.”

“When you put it that way, it sounds fucked up.”

“Pretty much.”

Seeing the giraffes proved to be a nice yet temporary reprieve. In their attempt to get to the hospital, Ellie nearly drowned.

The last thing Ellie remembered before waking up in a hospital bed was the water rushing around her.

“Tess?” Ellie croaked.

“No, Ellie. It's Marlene.”

Ellie turned her head in the direction of the voice. “Where’s Tess?”

“In another room. Unconscious and battered but alive.”

Something unspoken lingered in the air. Ellie was too fucking tired and done to beat around the bush any longer. “Just fucking say it, Marlene.”

“You’re exactly like your mother. Always want to get straight to the point,” Marlene said. “We need a tissue sample from the infection to study it and…”

“It grows in the brain,” Ellie finished for her.

“Yes. The surgery is not without its risks, Ellie. I won’t lie to you but our doctors will do everything they can to make sure you get through is safely.”  
“Fuck the risks. We didn’t fight to get all the way here for nothing so just… do it.”

In a matter of a few hours, Ellie was being prepped for surgery. She counted backwards once they gave her the anesthesia, mind quickly drifting off. Like what happened when Ellie woke up earlier, she was greeted by the sight of yet another hospital room.

The only difference was Tess sitting in the seat next to her. Relief washed across Tess’s face after realizing Ellie had awoken.

“Guess I fucking made it through the surgery.”

Tess laughed weakly. “When Marlene told me… I almost lost it but you’re still here and we made it.”

“What now?” Ellie asked, wishing her voice didn’t sound so fucking small.

“Once you’ve recuperate, we’ll head back to Tommy’s. That sound good to you, Ellie?”

“Yeah.”

It was a start, at least.


End file.
